Minors raped in orphanage
Two girls, aged 7 and 8, were raped in a government-run orphanage in Kushtia this week. Sadly, cases such as this are not new or infrequent. Last April, a minor, was raped by her neighbour in Melandah Upazila. In May police recovered the body of an eight-year old from a septic tank in Gazipur—here too it was suspected that she was first raped. The list goes on.
What is most appalling about the incident in Kushtia is that the perpetrator was an employee of the orphanage. When one of the girls reported the incident, the waiting maid tried to hide it. At least 95 children were killed and 138 minor girls raped from January to April this year, according to a report of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF). Here we must also take into account that the culture of silence, whether due to misplaced notions of shame and family honour, or due to fear of further violence, keeps many cases of sexual assault unreported.
Finally, it should also be noted that the incident in Kushtia happened in a government-run orphanage. While we applaud the quick steps taken by the Social Welfare Department and the police, we also urge the government to increase oversight on these orphanages.
Comments